Wiggles forced to apologise for 'racist' stereotype jingle

The Wiggles have been forced to apologise after their children’s song featuring papadums and an Indian woman dancing in a saree was blasted on social media for being ‘racist’.

The clip, which showed each member of the group also dressed in culturally-themed clothing, was shared on Twitter and quickly went viral.

“To be clear, this was not the representation I wanted,” Twitter user Ashmi wrote alongside the clip.

The video received over 1.3M views and more than 3000 comments with many calling out the tune for being inappropriate.

“It’s sh** and racist. There are many many better ways to introduce 2 year olds to different cultures - this is not one of them,” one person commented.

“I'm usually pretty lax with this kinda stuff, but deadset - who thought this was a good idea?” another asked.

While a third wondered why the woman didn’t sing herself.

“Why is the poor Indian girl the only one that wasn’t given a singing part?!?” they asked. “I can’t understand if she didn’t want to sing, but if it wasn’t that, I mean - bizarre. The others sing around her and she just smiles awkwardly the entire time.”

But there were plenty of people who were quick to defend the popular children’s entertainers, saying the song was perfect for the target audience.

“I’m sorry you cant cancel the Wiggles over a toddler song,” one person said.

“So this is aimed at 2 year olds. A pretty good 1st introduction to another culture. Food and sport extends across all borders and boundaries. Don’t make this out to be something it’s not,” another wrote.

It didn’t take long however for Anthony Field, the Blue Wiggle, to respond to the criticism, apologising for the video.

“I wrote the song, and directed the clip in 2014 (which was meant as a celebration),” he responded on Twitter.

“It was not my intention to be culturally insensitive to the Indian community, or to add value to ethnic stereotyping. Apologies.”

The apology prompted more fans to defend the song.

“We love this song @Anthony_Wiggle!!!!! Anyone who knows the Wiggles knows that they are inclusive in every possible aspect and strive to teach children about all cultures,” one person responded.

“Kudos for owning up and apologising. It certainly *looks* bad, out of context and with a 2020 perspective. But I can appreciate the effort and intention behind it.”

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